NEW ORLEANS - Katherine Michele Sanders, granddaughter of Katherine Johnson, the NASA research mathematician featured in the film "Hidden Figures," will serve as the keynote speaker for the annual Honors
And Awards Day Ceremony at 11 a.m. Wednesday, April 5 in the Southern University at New Orleans (SUNO) Gymnasium.

Mrs. Sanders moved to New Orleans in 1994 after growing up in Hampton, VA., as the first-born child of John and Connie Boykin. Mrs. Sanders graduated from SUNO in 2011 with a bachelor degree in Biology. She currently teaches middle school science and religion at St. Peter Claver Catholic School in New Orleans.
Before she started teaching in 2012, Mrs. Sanders worked in the Mortgage Industry for 15 years. She serves on several local boards and organizations, and is a 4H volunteer with three school clubs.

The purpose of Honors and Awards Day is to encourage, recognize and applaud academic excellence among students. More than 700 students are slated to receive awards for exceptional scholarship, outstanding service and excellent leadership. The theme for this year's program is "SUNO Students: Representing Academic Excellence without Excuses."

The program is open to the public. For information, contact Dr. Brenda Jackson, committee chair, at 504-286-5274.

About Southern University at New Orleans 

Southern University at New Orleans (SUNO), founded in 1956, is a four-year public institution categorized as an SREB Four-Year 5 institution, a Carnegie Master's College and University I, and as a SACSCOC Level III institution.
As an accredited liberal arts teaching institution and a member of the Southern University System, SUNO is known for its highly engaged faculty and personal academic support. The University offers a wide range of baccalaureate
programs and is committed to graduate education through the master's degree, offering graduate programs to meet regional and statewide needs. For information, please visit the University's Web site at www.SUNO.edu .

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By DAVID MORGAN, CBS NEWS

CBS NEWS - The Trump administration's proposed cuts to arts education and funding is preparing the public to become "more ignorant," according to Wynton Marsalis.

Appearing on "CBS This Morning" Monday, the Grammy- and Pulitzer Prize-winning musician and composer was asked by co-host Norah O'Donnell the effect of President Trump's budget proposal, which would shut down the National Endowment for the Arts, the National Endowment for the Humanities and the Corporation for Public Broadcasting as well as eliminate $1.2 billion in before- and after-school and summer programs.

"There's so much wrong with so much that's going on in our politics, not just directed at him," Marsalis said. "We're swinging back and forth like a ship listing in the ocean. Your national budget is symbolic. You're basically telling the world, 'This is what we as a nation think about our arts,' which is our collective memory, our wisdom.

"There's a reality to things: When we tell people our arts are not important, our wisdom is not important, we're preparing our public to be more ignorant so that we can exploit them more.

"We're going to realize that white and black people of a certain economic level, there's a certain level of exploitation that's taking place as intellectuals. So you don't want to disconnect yourself from your intellectual tradition in any way.

"It's painful to see it. It's not just painful, it's ignorant. We don't want to be viewed in the world that way." ( Wynton Marsalis and Jon Batiste on "CBS This Morning.") -  CBS News

Marsalis, who is the managing and co-artistic director of Jazz at Lincoln Center, appeared on "CBS This Morning" to talk about his latest album, "The Music of John Lewis" (Blue Engine Records), a tribute to the late pianist, composer and bandleader of the Modern Jazz Quartet. Marsalis collaborated with Jon Batiste, the bandleader for "The Late Show with Stephen Colbert."

In 1984, Charlie Rose asked Marsalis about the level of respect paid to musicians in the jazz world compared to other genres. "Most people would say that we have not recognized the genius of jazz musicians primarily because 90 percent of them were black," Rose said.

"Right. I don't really think that we even approach it, recognizing it," Marsalis replied. "I have to answer truthfully, I don't think so."

Thirty-three years later, Marsalis says, "A lot has changed since then. A lot of change on the scene, a lot more younger musicians, and much more music available."

He credits "the momentum of the music" as well as the work of Jazz at Lincoln Center for changes in jazz's acceptance since his 1984 interview with Rose.

"We still tour around the world and we collaborate with a lot of musicians," he said. "But also, the music is difficult to play, so there's always a lot of younger musicians that want to play it. Which is what Jon represents and what he presents on this album is that the quality of playing has gone up for younger musicians."

Batiste, a pianist and composer, knew Marsalis since he was a teenager. ("I was 13 years old. We actually would play basketball before we started playing music together. He had a nice J!")

"He called, and when you get a 30-year veteran from Kenner, Louisiana, call you up - this was in 2013 - to do the music of John Lewis, one of the most venerable, highest-level jazz composers and piano players, I had to say yes.

"It's a challenge," Batiste said of the album. "It's an artistic Mount Everest to climb.

"The music, I feel, is about bridging the gap between the generations. It's about sharing and breaking barriers that may be color barriers, may be racial barriers, or may be something about the older generation feels like, 'What you all doing is not happening,' and the younger generation is like, 'What you all doing is passé. We don't need that.' When actually, jazz is not like that at all."

"John Lewis, as erudite as he was and as serious as he was about music and the quality of his playing, I knew Jon would be up to the intellectual study," Marsalis said.

Marsalis, who is 55, described the generational relationship he has with the 30-year-old Batiste.

"It's almost like being in the same family," he said. "My father [Ellis Marsalis] would be like a grandparent to Jon. He taught Harry Connick Jr., all of us in that generation and even in the later generation with Jon. The second he started playing, I get a call from my father saying, 'Little Batiste can play!'"

2 Degrees East, 3 Degrees West

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NEW ORLEANS (4/4/17) - Today, Mayor Mitch Landrieu joined City and State officials, and community stakeholders to celebrate the completion of the Oretha Castle Haley Boulevard Streetscape Project from Calliope Street to St. Andrew Street in Central City. The $1.85 million project, which was designed to revitalize the area, was funded through a Disaster-Community Development Block Grant. Construction began in August 2016. 

"The completion of Oretha Castle Haley Boulevard will continue to revitalize this important and historic corridor," said Mayor Mitch Landrieu. "This project will serve as a catalyst for future growth and private investment for both the residents and businesses in Central City.

The scope of work for this project included partial removal of the neutral ground from Felicity Street to Martin Luther King, Jr. Boulevard, installing wider pedestrian refuges at intersections, repairing damaged sidewalks, installing new Americans with Disabilities Act-compliant curb ramps at intersections, restriping the roadway from two travel lanes and a parking lane to one travel lane, bike lane, and a parking lane in each direction, striping new high visibility crosswalks and a bike lane, improving rain gardens, planting landscaping and tree cuts and repaving the asphalt roadway.

Streetscape projects improve the area surrounding the roadway by making them more pedestrian-friendly and encouraging people to walk or bike rather than drive, as well as helping to trigger investment in the surrounding community. The O.C. Haley Boulevard Streetscape Project coincides with a number of new and improved developments on the corridor including: Ashé Cultural Arts Center, Café Reconcile, Peoples Health Jazz Market, Toups South, Casa Borrega, Primitivo, Dryades Market and the New Orleans Redevelopment Authority Office.

Cedric S. Grant, Sewerage and Water Board of New Orleans Executive Director, said, "Streetscape projects bring communities together. The Oretha Castle Haley Blvd. community will benefit greatly from the enhanced walkability this project allows. Furthermore, the dedicated bike lane will encourage bicycle transit in the area which relieves traffic congestion and promotes healthier living."

District B Councilmember LaToya Cantrell said, "These streetscape improvements are another step in the continued revitalization of Oretha Castle Haley Boulevard, which is vital to the overall health and prosperity of Central City."

Councilmember-at-Large President Stacy Head said, "Today is a good day in Central City. With these improvements complete, Oretha Castle Haley Boulevard can continue to grow and attract businesses and nonprofits to the area. I want to reiterate what I said at the beginning of this project, that this would not have happened without hard work and dedication from both city employees and community leaders. I am pleased to see this commercial corridor continue to thrive and become a more vibrant part of the community."

Councilmember-at-Large Jason Rogers Williams said, "For well over a hundred years, the Oretha Castle Haley Boulevard corridor has been a cornerstone of New Orleans culture and entrepreneurial growth. This project is just one piece of the most recent streetscape revival in a fiercely tenacious and vibrant neighborhood. I am thrilled to see the infrastructure improvement and beautification of this streetscape and look forward to the continued strength of the diverse, local business community OC Haley has always fostered."

Pat Forbes, Louisiana Office of Community Development Executive Director, said, "Oretha Castle Haley Boulevard is an important anchor for an historic cultural corridor that was severely damaged by Hurricane Katrina," Pat Forbes, executive director of the Office of Community Development, said. "This project to enhance the OC Haley streetscape is a continuation of a large commitment by the City of New Orleans to revitalize the area and provide increased incentive for continued recovery investments by both private and public entities in the surrounding Central City neighborhood"

Linda Pompa, Executive Director of the Oretha Castle Haley Boulevard Merchants & Business Association, said, "We are thrilled to have the Oretha Castle Haley Streetscape Project complete. The corridor looks great and the City and its contractors did an excellent job working with businesses and residents to ensure we were involved in the process every step of the way."

Since Mayor Landrieu took office in 2010, the City has completed 24 streetscape projects across New Orleans. Completed streetscape projects include Harrison Avenue in Lakeview, Read Boulevard in N.O. East, Claiborne Avenue in the Lower Ninth Ward, Freret Street in Uptown, Bayou Road in the Seventh Ward, Galvez Street between new University Medical Center and the Veterans Affairs hospital, and Broad and Washington in Broadmoor. The Oretha Castle Haley Boulevard Streetscape Project is the 25th. Over $38 million in funding has been committed to making commercial and residential corridors more pedestrian and bike-friendly in New Orleans.

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CHARLOTTE, NC--(Marketwired - April 03, 2017) - Girls on the Run International is honored to be recognized as one of the National AfterSchool Association's Most Influential in Health and Wellness. Girls on the Run is a physical activity-based positive youth development program that helps girls in 3rd through 8th grade develop key life skills through dynamic lessons and interactive running games. During each 10-week season, girls strengthen their sense of self, build connections with teammates and coaches, create and implement a Community Impact Project, and prepare to complete a celebratory end-of-season 5K event.

The National AfterSchool Association is the membership association for professionals who work with children and youth in diverse school and community-based settings to provide a wide variety of extended learning opportunities and care during out-of-school hours.

The inaugural NAA's Most Influential in Health and Wellness selections are intended to honor individuals and organizations whose service, action and leadership support health and wellness in afterschool and affect a large number of youth, families, or afterschool professionals.

"We are proud to be included in this group of distinguished, innovative and dedicated afterschool programs," says Girls on the Run International Vice President of Programming Heather Pressley. "When you see this impressive list, it reminds us all how important afterschool programming is in the lives of children and Girls on the Run is proud of the role we play in positively impacting the lives of girls across the country."

According to the NAA, an estimated 10.2 million children participate in afterschool programs each year. Girls on the Run provides programs for girls in all 50 states and the District of Columbia and has impacted the lives of over 1.2 million girls since being founded in 1996.

	Gina Warner

"The National AfterSchool Association believes that out-of-school time hours offer a great opportunity to impact the health of today's youth and their families," said Gina Warner, president and CEO of NAA. "Promoting healthy eating and physical activity can lead to lifelong physical and mental health and prevent disease."

The NAA selected 11 honorees and five honorable mentions who were each profiled in the Spring 2017 issue of NAA's AfterSchool Today magazine and featured on the NAA website. See the full list of organizations honored here.

More information about Girls on the Run can be found at GirlsontheRun.org.

About Girls on the Run

Girls on the Run is a transformational physical activity-based positive youth development program for girls in 3rd to 8th grade designed to develop and enhance girls' competencies to successfully navigate life experiences. At Girls on the Run, trained and supportive volunteer coaches teach life skills through dynamic, conversation-based lessons and running games. The program culminates with the girls being physically and emotionally prepared to complete a celebratory 5K running event. The goals of the program are to develop and improve competence, unleash confidence through accomplishment, develop strength of character, respond to others and oneself with care and compassion, create positive connections with peers and adults and make a meaningful contribution to community, all while establishing a lifetime appreciation of health and fitness. Additional information about Girls on the Run International can be found at www.girlsontherun.org .

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WASHINGTON, D.C. (March 30, 2017) - The National Association of Black Journalists (NABJ) announced today a team of dedicated professionals will serve as honorary co-chairs and corporate partners for the 2017 NABJ Annual Convention and Career Fair. The convention is scheduled for Aug. 9-13 in New Orleans, Louisiana. More than 3,000 journalists, media professionals and students are expected to attend this year's "Power Up and Break Through" gathering.

Both honorary co-chairs -- Warren Bell and Michelle Miller -- have deep ties to New Orleans and a long history with NABJ.

"We are thrilled to have the support and engagement of so many amazing African American professionals with distinct ties to the New Orleans," NABJ President Sarah Glover said. "Our time is now to propel NABJ to new heights. There will be many breakthrough and memorable moments at this year's convention, propelled by the dedication of this dynamic team."

 
Bell, a local news legend and scholar, attended his first NABJ convention in 1982 and is a founding member of the New Orleans Association of Black Journalists (NOABJ). He also served as a regional director on the NABJ board and was co-chair of the 1983 convention in New Orleans. He is the recipient of the NOABJ Lifetime Achievement Award.

 
"I am thrilled to have the chance to serve my beloved NABJ once again as its 2017 honorary convention co-chair," Bell said.

Miller is a correspondent for CBS News and has served as a substitute anchor on "The CBS Evening News" weekend editions and CBS News "Up to the Minute." From 1994 to 2003, Miller lived in New Orleans and worked as a reporter and anchor for WWL-TV, the CBS affiliate. She is a past recipient of an NABJ Salute to Excellence Award.

"For many of us, NABJ is the connection to our professional pathway. It gave us knowledge, strength and courage to get to the next job, through the next story, or past the next challenge," said Miller, who is the wife of former New Orleans Mayor Marc Morial.

"I was told I wouldn't make it. I was discouraged. I was blocked. I made mistakes. But being connected through NABJ, I got up. I climbed out. I moved forward. I'm still climbing, still sharing, still learning. That is why NABJ remains relevant and why I'm proud to serve on the convention planning team."

NABJ is fortunate to have the support of four New Orleans business and community leaders to anchor the local corporate partners committee: Tod Smith, president,and general manager, WWL-TV/TEGNA; Demetric Mercadel, senior public affairs customer service specialist, Entergy New Orleans; Cheryl Teamer, senior vice president, New Orleans Convention & Visitors Bureau; chair, The Greater New Orleans Foundation; chair New Orleans Aviation Board; and Jimmie Woods, CEO and co-founder, Metro Service Group.

NABJ will be in New Orleans next month to cultivate outreach in "The Big Easy" and underscore and cultivate the association's diversity efforts. The spring NABJ board of directors meeting takes place April 7-9 at the Hilton New Orleans Riverside hotel.

Companies seeking more information about how to partner with NABJ at the conference and professionals interested in registering, please visit: www.nabjconvention.com .

About the National Association of Black Journalists: An advocacy group established in 1975 in Washington, D.C., NABJ is the largest organization for journalists of color in the nation and provides career development as well as educational and other support to its members worldwide.

Editors Note: An earlier version of this release had Michelle Miller listed an Anchor/Correspondent for CBS.  Ms. Miller's official title is that of "CBS Correspondent." 

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NEW ORLEANS - The goal of Sista Strut is to heighten awareness about the issues of breast cancer in women of color, as well as provide information on community resources. Studies show that African American women are more likely to get breast cancer at a younger age and have a death rate from breast cancer twice that of Caucasian women of the same age. Sista Strut recognizes the strength of survivors, their family and friends, heightens awareness, promotes early detection and the search for a cure.

African American women in the US have a 41% higher death rate from breast cancer than white women.

African American women are more likely than white women to be diagnosed with breast cancer before age 40 and are more likely to be diagnosed with larger tumors.

Awareness of these issues will help survival rates with earlier diagnoses.
The registration fee for Sista Strut is:

$15 per individual/$20 per team member through 2/21

$20 per individual/$25 per team member 2/22 through 3/21

$25 per individual/$30 per team member 3/22 through 4/22

Registration Fee includes Sista Strut T-shirt for both Individual Sign-ups and Team Member Sign-ups. A team can consists of 2+ people (no minimum or maximum). Each participating member of a Team must sign up as a Team member in order to receive a Sista Strut T-shirt and back pack.

*$3 additional charge for XXL & XXXL shirts.

T-shirts pickup information will be posted when details have been finalized.

Click to Here Sign Up

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